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Prithus
"Imagine you're in a tavern somewhere, like Codtown down in Bornea. There'll be plenty of people who're just there for a drink, but there will always be that one loudmouth tossing around money like it's nothing and telling grand lies about how he earned it. That'll be your Prithan: damnably charismatic, but about as honest as a whore telling you you're the best they've ever had." - Admiral Nassied Azair, 1st Khivan Fleet, about fifty years after the Great Schism of Denthir. Description Prithus is the plutocratic state of the North-Eastern Tatrian continent and is said to be the richest state in the world. For centuries, it was under the oppressive rule of the Denthiran Imperial aristocracy but has now been an independent state for quite a while. In their time as an independent nation, the Prithans have introduced a semi-democratic government that they call a ‘serene republic’ where citizens elect a president from the most prominent trade or naval business families in the nation. The government is seated in the City of Prithus, an enormous metropolis that may very well be the single largest city in the world. While the people of the nation have grown very comfortable with their wealth, Prithans are not to be underestimated: due to the wealth of the state, the Prithan military and navy are ridiculously well-paid and therefore some of the best-equipped, most well-disciplined and trained and incorrupt armed forces in the world. Sadly for the Prithans, this led to them becoming the natural rivals of the Varnian Empire, which most Prithans refer to as the “Silver Scourge” or the “Scourgeouns”, terms that are now utilised across the board amongst non-Varnians. The Prithans strive to (often successfully!) achieve everything the Varnians have in terms of subsidised agricultural practises, educational standards and care of their citizens, but without any of the forceful means the Varnians have applied. Because Prithans are a friendly and charismatic folk, something that works to their advantage when trading, and would much rather offer you a smile, a mug of ale and a handful of coins in exchange for your cooperation than to force your hand by the sword. That is not to say the Prithans are all good, however; they’re notorious for resorting to bribes and have a bad tendency to establish extensive intelligence networks within other nations, be they friend or foe. Races Prithans are typically Humans, Halflings, Elves or Gnomes. Since the peaceful establishment of Prithan rule in Southern Xholoria, all of Prithus has also become home to a vast number of Centaurs, Genasi and Goliaths. Culture Prithans are natural traders and are typically incredibly good at bartering. This stems from a general love for debate and discussion amongst Prithans, a trait that many foreigners tend to find annoying. If you find yourself accompanied by a Prithan, you may be better off letting them negotiate the price of goods and the size of rewards for you. History Prithus, before Denthiran conquest, was not actually a nation. For the most part, it was just a densely settled area governed by no-one except whatever merchant was the richest and could hire the most mercenaries in any given local area. Internal conflict was scarce back then, as Prithan friendliness has been a constant for centuries. Ironically, the unity of Prithans in the present is the result of Denthiran oppression. Prithus did not truly have a national identity until everyone experienced the harsh and exploitative treatment of Denthiran nobility. Over the centuries, Prithans started banding together and settled what is presently known as the City of Prithus. The Denthirans, in their ignorance, simply saw the more consolidated settling habits of their subjects as a great way to ease tax collection and levying of local troops. However, the Prithans were playing the long game: by settling most of their population in a central location, it was easy to establish an underground government capable of drawing up preliminary plans of a rebellion aiming to launch an all-out war of independence. In fact, it was the Prithan underground government that drafted the Trinity Alliance treaty, organised the transport of Bornean and Synghgarthic officials to the city 3 months before the Great Schism of Denthir began, and created the necessary infrastructure and supply lines between the three nations to wage an effective war of independence against the Denthirans. 3 months after assembling the Trinity Alliance’s officials and signing the defensive pact, Bornea, Prithus and Synghgarth declared independence. Prithus saw heavy fighting on their western borders, but their population was very motivated to see the end of Denthiran rule and all too eager to give their lives if only to see a few Denthiran nobles dead. Eventually, Prithan forces pushed the Denthiran army back to the Northern Mountains and the rivers just south of the mountains, thus establishing a hard border that would have been difficult, if not outright impossible, to cross. With their borders basically secure, they joined Synghgarthic and Bornean forces, aided by the Varnians, on the Synghgarthic front, eventually doubling the original Synghgarthic territorial landmass by pushing its western border close to the Denthiran Imperial City. Three years after the three nations had declared independence, Denthiran military finally gave up: they had last much of their eastern holdings to Synghgarth and Prithus had occupied every single profitable patch of land in the North-East. The Denthiran military had little funding as much financial pull was required to save the fleeing nobles from across the land. Thus, Denthir recognised the independence of Bornea, Prithus and Synghgarth. Prithans wasted no time on celebrating: they quickly fortified whatever parts of their border potentially could be crossed without much trouble and established a massive navy, an incredible mercantile presence across all of Kranos and an impressive standing army. Since then, Prithus has only grown richer and more powerful, and have launched a ‘Counter-Varnian’ expedition into Southern Xholoria, trying to prove to the international community that Xholoria does not need taming and that Varnia needs to be cut down to size.